Life and politics from the Sunshine State's best city

The Rubin Group

Summertime is here — well, almost. While Memorial Day commemorates the men and women who died while serving in the country’s armed forces, the holiday also marks the unofficial start to summer. And for many people, that means it’s time to start thinking about summer vacation. More than 39.9 million Americans are expected to travel more than 50 miles away from home this Memorial Day, making one of the highest volume of travel since 2005, according to AAA – The Auto…

The numbers are out. Registered legislative lobbying firms reported median earnings of more than $35.7 million in the first quarter of 2017. The Top 5 earners during the three-month period were Ballard Partners, Southern Strategy Group, Ronald L. Book PA, Capital City Consulting, and Greenberg Traurig. If those rankings look familiar, there’s a reason for that. The five firms were ranked among the Top 5 firms each quarter in 2016. And according to LobbyTools Legislative IQ, it appears the pentad…

Grab your bonnet, pull out the seersucker and get ready for a good-old-fashion Easter egg hunt. Americans are expected to spend about $18.4 billion on Easter this year, according to the National Retail Federation’s annual survey. That projection is 6 percent higher than last year’s record of $17.3 billion and marks an all-time high in the 14 years the national organization has conducted the survey. The increase in spending is likely due to how late the holiday falls on the…

The holidays are here. That means carols and cookies, brightly lit Christmas trees and twinkling menorahs, and nip of eggnog (or whatever seasonal cocktail tickles your fancy) to keep you warm at night. But the festive holiday season is also a chance for people to spend time with their family and friends, make resolutions for the coming year, and give back in big ways and small to their communities. The number of people who volunteered their time between September 2014…

It’s time to talk turkey. And stuffing, pie and football. Thanksgiving marks the beginning of the winter holiday season; the first stop in a month of non-stop holiday parties and celebrations. It’s also a day for Americans to reflect on what they’re grateful for, something that is especially important in these tense times. But it’s also a day to gorge yourself on goodies, sneak a snack in between meals, and loosen your belts while watching the big game. And you…

Easter – like the 2016 Legislative Session – came early this year. Feels weird to have it be all over in March, right? The moveable feast dates back to the mid-2nd century A.D. on the Christian calendar and celebrates a redemption and rebirth that Capitol-going advocates of some issues – say, Transportation Network Companies legislation or campus carry – will also hope for in 2017. The Jewish holiday Passover – of which Easter is generally considered the Gentile equivalent – memorializes the emancipation of Israelites held…

Ballard Partners tops the compensation list for lobbying the Florida Legislature in the third quarter of 2015, bringing in $2.22 million, according to newly released compensation reports. Registered lobbying firms took in almost $32 million in fees — $31,775,000 to be (somewhat) exact — between July and September 2015 to represent clients in front of Florida lawmakers. In addition to Ballard — the only firm reporting over $2 million in compensation — three other companies cracked the $1 million mark: Ronald…